Absolutely Surreal
by PlainOldChels
Summary: Abigail Sanders loved to read about Harry Potter. She knows practically everything about the wizard and Hogwarts. Little did she know that she was about to get a chance in a lifetime to be in the adventure instead of reading about it.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Absolutely Surreal a.k.a. What In The World?!

Summary:Abigail Sanders loved to read about Harry Potter. She knows practically everything about the wizard and Hogwarts. Little did she know that she was about to get a chance in a lifetime to be in the adventure instead of reading about it.

Disclaimer: All the characters, events and things from the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.. I do not own anything. This fanfiction is written only for the sake of entertainment. No profit was gained from this story.

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Chapter 1:

If the students ever looked out from their walks to their respective classes on a bright Wednesday morning towards the Hogwarts grounds, they would have seen a lump under the large oak tree by the Black Lake. Then, if they had looked even closer they would have noticed that the lump was moving slightly up and down, as though it was breathing. If they decided to go and check the lump out, they would have discovered a girl lying under the tree, deep in sleep.

Unfortunately, none of the students paid any sort of attention towards the grounds this morning. So, of course the girl was not discovered. It was quite later that the blinding rays of the sun woke up the girl.

She sat up slowly, as though she had all the time in the world, and stretched. She scratched her head a little and rubbed her back. For some reason, her back was a little stiff, like she had been sleeping on a hard surface. The girl stood up and stretched once more. All the while, her eyes were still shut.

The sound of the birds chirping made one of her eyebrows twitched. There should not be any birds chirping where she was sleeping. Her bedroom was in the basement, surely there is not any birds chirping out her window, she does not have a window in her room!

Abruptly, she opened her eyes. What she saw shook the life out of her. Her eyes lay on the most beautiful and serene lake that she had ever seen. Around her was a view one could only see in movies and photographs. It looked like it was wallpaper-worthy, that is what it is. There is a small cabin in a distance to her right that had smoke come out from a little chimney. To her far left, she could see a line of trees, most likely a start to more lines of trees forming a forest.

She had this distinctive feeling that she was still in her dreams as it is not likely that a place like this existed where she lived. Decided that she might as well enjoy the scenery while she could, she turned around. If she think the lake was beautiful, it paled in comparison on what she laid her eyes on this time.

Before her was a huge, massive, large, gigantic, and any other words that could describe something this big, castle. Suddenly, she found herself unable to move. She was too amazed by the magnificent building.

A bell ringing shook her out of her demeanor. She could tell that it came from the castle. Like a bug to light source, she walked absent-mindedly towards the castle. Soon enough, she heard the rustle and bustle of people moving within the castle. She peered through a corner of the castle and saw a group of people coming her way. They were dressed quite in a different way, their cloaks shuffling at their feet. She raised an eyebrow. Somehow, this seemed a little familiar, like she had seen this scene somewhere before.

Decided not to make scene, she backed off slowly from the wall, not noticing someone else was coming from the other side of the corner. Of course, it resulted in a collision and made her fell on her back. Though, she landed on something soft, almost like a human body.

"Er, I'm sorry, but… could you… get off me?" said a muffled voice beneath her.

She quickly scrambled to her feet, keeping her head bowed and apologizing. She heard a chuckle and looked up.

She was not prepared to be looking into two grey eyes and was greeted with a playful grin.

"I'm sorry. I was not aware that someone was behind me," she said.

Another chuckle.

"It is fine, it's my fault as well. I'm not paying attention to where I am going," he told her. It was then that the boy realized that the girl before him was dressed differently than the rest of the students. She was wearing Muggle attire.

"Don't you have classes? Why aren't you in uniform?" he asked her. He raked his mind to place a name or a house to this face.

He was met with a confused look.

"Are you lost?" he asked. When he received nothing other than another confused look, he promptly led her to the Headmaster's office.

She was wondering what in the world was happening. This is a very weird dream, she thought as the boy led her to some place. She knew she was supposed to be afraid when a stranger was leading her somewhere she had no idea of, but it was her dream. There could not be any harm in this.

Moments later, they were in front of a statue. She heard the boy muttered something to the statue and it begin turning, revealing a spiral staircase. She smiled. Ah, so this is what it is. She smiled.

Her smile was still on her face as the boy led her up the stairs. All the while, the boy stole glances at the girl. The strange girl puzzled him.

When they reached a wooden door, he knocked gently.

"Come in,"

The girl was amazed by the decorations in the office. When she saw the red flaming bird at a corner, her smile widened. She walked towards the bird and gently stroked it. "Hey Fawkes," she whispered. It was as though the phoenix knew her because Fawkes nuzzled her finger.

The boy looked at the girl, puzzled once more. She seemed so much at ease in the Headmaster's office as though she had been here before. This girl is really intriguing. One moment, she looked confused and completely out of place, and the next, she looked like she was where she wanted to be.

The Headmaster was seated at his desk, sorting out his collection of Chocolate Frog cards when someone knocked on the door. He cleared up his cards and told whoever it is to come into his office. It was a pair of students. But upon further observation, he realized that he had never seen the girl before. She could not be a student here. He watched as the girl stroke Fawkes as though she had seen the phoenix before. He distinctively heard that her calling the phoenix by its name.

She could not believe this. This is surreal. It looked too real.

"Mr. Diggory?" the headmaster inquired. He needs to know what is going on.

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, -,"

"Wait, Diggory?" the girl cut in. The boy and the Headmaster looked at the girl. "Cedric Diggory?" she inquired. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Cedric said, uncertain. "How do you know my name?"

The girl simply stared at him.

She could not believe it. Wow, he is really good looking. The infamous Cedric Diggory. She had read all about him, but what she had imagined to be him was nothing compared to what he looked like in person.

"Mr. Diggory, I think you should head back to class. The fifth period is going to start soon," Dumbledore told Cedric. Something tells him that this girl is no ordinary girl and that somehow, she knew a lot, what about, he did not know, but he is certain that this girl is different.

Cedric hesitated for a while. He really wanted to find out about this intriguing girl, but he knew he should go. Dumbledore's tone, if nothing, indicates as much.

He gave the Headmaster a nod and one last inquiring glance at the girl before excusing himself from the office.

*

Dumbledore set his gaze on the girl after Cedric left the office. She was still sporting the dazed smile. He cleared his throat to gain her attention.

She watched as Cedric Diggory walked out of the office. She could not believe her eyes. She had met _the _Cedric Diggory face to face. She met Professor Dumbledore, she was in his office and she even stroked Fawkes!

She looked at Dumbledore when he cleared his throat. She smiled again. He looked exactly like the Dumbledore she imagined, old and wise.

This girl puzzled Dumbledore and Dumbledore was rarely puzzled.

"Have a sit, Miss-," he asked.

"Sanders, Abigail Sanders," she replied.

"Miss Sanders, allow me to be frank, but who are you? I am sure that you are not a student in my school, as I would have known if you were,"

"It's really a silly story, Professor Dumbledore. You wouldn't want to know, sir,"

"My girl, just humor me,"

Abigail smiled. "Well, the truth is, I had read all about you guys; Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory, Lord Voldemort and everything. So, it had been a little surreal to see both you and Cedric today," Abigail explained.

Dumbledore did not show it, but he was intrigued further by this girl in front of him. Not only did she speak of Lord Voldemort's name, she did it without any hint of a shudder or a wince. This girl must be something. He gave a nod of encouragement for Abigail to go on with her story.

"So, I was reading about Harry Potter again last night before I went to bed. I guess I was too into the book last night that I had dreamt about Hogwarts," she said.

Dumbledore frowned. Dreamt?

"I must say I am impressed with myself. My dreams are so detailed, just like how it was described in the book. You looked exactly like how I imagined you would look like. Though I must say Cedric looked so much better than how I imagined him to be,"

"Hold on for a moment, Miss Sanders. I'm not quite sure that I follow. Did you just say that you _dreamt _all this?

Abigail looked at the Headmaster; she was once again impressed by her dreaming abilities. This whole thing felt so real, like she was really in Hogwarts and not her dream.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm waiting for my alarm clock to ring for me to wake up. It was nice meeting you though,"

Dumbledore stared at the girl, wondering what in Merlin's name is going on?

"Miss Sanders, I can assure you that this is not a dream. You _are _in Hogwarts compound right now,"

"This is not real, Professor Dumbledore. I didn't say this as a mean of disrespect, but this _is _a dream," Abigail insisted.

The banter went back and forth for a couple of minutes. Dumbledore could not believe he was reduced to childishness when dealing with this girl.

"Look, this is a dream, _my dream. _I was reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before I go to bed last night. It must have been stuck in my subconscious mind when I fall asleep, that's why I am dreaming about you guys," Abigail explained, though she did not know why she was trying to hard to explain it to Dumbledore. It was only a dream, anyway.

_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? _Dumbledore was getting more puzzled by the second. He was sure that there is not any book with that particular title, he would know, because he had read every single book in the world.

"My child, if you were dreaming," he said as he walked past his desk towards Abigail "could you possibly feel this?" he asked.

"Feel what- Ouch!" Abigail rubbed the spot of which Albus Dumbledore had pinched her.

"What did you do that for?" she glared at the Headmaster. Didn't he know that it hurts? Then, it struck her. You don't feel pain in your dream. She felt the pain, which meant, she is _not _dreaming. What the heck is going on here? What the-

She stopped short when she saw Dumbledore smirking at her. He raised an eyebrow at her.

This is _not _a dream. Then what is going on here?

The only thing that was on Abigail's mind was: Bloody hell.

* * *

Feedback is always welcomed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All the characters, events and things from the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.. I do not own anything. This fanfiction is written only for the sake of entertainment. No profit was gained from this story.

* * *

Chapter 2:

Dumbledore watched as thoughts go through the young girls mind in a flash. It is like watching a magical duel where the sparks of the spells flew from one end to another. He could tell that Abigail was trying really hard to grasp the concept that she was not in a dream. Though what made her think so in the first place was plaguing his mind.

What about the books that she had mentioned she read? As far as he is concerned, there are books written on Harry Potter, Voldemort and Hogwarts, that are for sure, but a book on Cedric Diggory? That is not possible.

He looked at the girl again. He was analyzing the girl thoroughly. There is not anything out of place about the girl other than the fact that she was wearing Muggle attire.

Dumbledore tried to sense her magical abilities, but he could not sense anything. Either Abigail has no magical ability at all, or she was so good at it that she was able to block Dumbledore out.

Suddenly, the thought of her being a weapon or a spy sent by Voldemort came across the Headmaster's mind. But then, it was not confirmed yet that the Dark Lord had arise again, so, he kept that notion at bay. He would keep the girl under observation for now.

It was then that Abigail snapped her fingers and looked up with a smug smile.

"Aha," she exclaimed as though she had it all figured out.

Dumbledore found himself smiling fondly at the girl even though he had just suspected her of being from the Dark side.

"What is it, child?"

"This is all a dream," she told matter-of-factly.

Dumbledore sighed. They had been through this. Haven't they proved it just minutes before? When he voiced this out, Abigail giggled.

"Well, that just proved that this _is _a dream,"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. How in the name of Merlin did she manage to come to that conclusion? Really, this girl will surely make his life more interesting.

"Oh, how did you come into this conclusion, my dear?"

Abigail rolled her eyes.

"Well, isn't this obvious? The real Dumbledore wouldn't actually pinch me to prove that this is a dream. Surely, he would have done some hocus pocus magic thingy to get his points across. Not some silly old pinching trick. So, I conclude that it must be that my mind is running out of ideas, thus, the pinching scenario,"

Dumbledore could not help himself, so he laughed. It had been so long since he laughed so full-heartedly. When he had calmed down, he looked at the girl again. Really, this girl would bring so much joy in his life.

"It's not funny," she said, clearly a little offended that her well thought explanation was laughed at.

Dumbledore caught his breath and tried to steady them before talking. "Of course it isn't funny, my dear. I am just a little amused. Your theory makes sense, but won't you look at it from my point of view," he said gently as not to offend the young girl.

Abigail huffed and crossed her arms.

"See, I did what I did because in my logic, if I were to use the hocus pocus, like how you say it, you would have said that it was obvious that I would do it and that it would be a dream. So, in my opinion, either way, you're going to believe that you are in a dream and refuse to see truth," Dumbledore drawled slowly.

Abigail thought it over and sighed. It is true. Dumbledore's right. She will find a way to say that it is a dream no matter what Dumbledore did. She slumped a little in her seat.

Seeing the girl was a little dejected, Dumbledore tried to get her a little hyped up.

"You said something about reading books about us?" he prompted.

With that, Abigail straightened her posture and nodded.

"Kindly explain, please,"

"Well, whether or not this is a dream, I _did _read about you guys in a book. In fact, they were my favorite story books,"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. Storybooks? Is she suggesting that his world, _their _world is merely a figment of imagination of an author in another dimension?

"There are --- books in total," Abigail made a weird face. She opened her mouth as though trying to say something, but no voice came out. She tried several more times, but the results are still the same. Abigail scratched her head.

"What's the matter my dear?" Dumbledore asked.

"It seemed to me that I couldn't tell you how many books there is to the series. I couldn't say it no matter how many times I tried. See," she made the show of saying something and yet, nothing came up.

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Hmm, this is rather interesting. Ms. Sanders, would you mind trying to tell me something that had not happened yet? Something that will be revealed in the later books?" he asked. Though it seemed that Abigail would not be able to reveal anything, Dumbledore still braced himself for the unexpected.

Abigail pondered on what to tell the Headmaster. It is quite crucial to choose what is appropriate to tell the Headmaster. If she were to reveal something like the Headmaster's own death, it might affect how he would behave and thus, affecting the future all together. Abigail wasn't sure whether a slight change to the previous books would alter the later books.

This isn't like time traveling, where the future is not set. In her case, the future is already set. J.K. Rowling already _wrote _the ending, didn't she? Would Abigail's interference _in _the one of the books, alter the content of the other books?

Dumbledore watched as the child struggled to determine what to tell him. He understood the consequences of messing with the past, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity. What's the harm anyway, she might not be able to voice out those words anyhow.

Abigail finally decided on telling the Headmaster something that he already knew all along, just that he wasn't _sure. _

Dumbledore saw Abigail opening her mouth, as though to say something. But of course, nothing came out.

Abigail sighed. "Well, at least it was worth a try," she told the Headmaster.

"Now what?" she asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. She remind him a little of Harry Potter.

"Why don't you tell me something that had happened in the previous books then?"

Abigail tilted her head to a side. "Sir, you are accepting this quite well. You do realized that you are acknowledging yourself as a character from a story book?"

Dumbledore chuckled again.

"The world is a mysterious thing, Ms. Sanders. What we though to be true might not be true and what we thought to be impossible might turn out to be true," he answered calmly. After a moment of silent, contemplating in Abigail's part and amusement in Dumbledore's, he continued, "So, anything, Ms. Sanders?"

"Before that, may I know what year is Harry in currently?" Abigail asked, wanting to know to which extent she could reveal about the Harry Potter series. She was guessing that this was either the third or fourth installment of the series since Cedric Diggory is well and alive.

The Headmaster merely nodded and told her that it is Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts.

"Right, so, I know that you are the one who gave Harry his Invisibility Cloak and that you were the one who told Harry and Hermione to use the Time-Turner to save Sirius from the Kiss,"

Dumbledore nodded, somehow confirmed that Abigail was telling the truth because nobody, but himself knew about his involvement in the Cloak and also the Time-Turner.

"Well, now that everything's confirmed. What are we going to do with you, Ms. Sanders?"

Abigail was taken aback by the question. "What do you mean, Sir?"

"Clearly we don't have a way to send you back to where you came from because there aren't any similar cases like this happening before," he said. "But, rest assured that I will try to find the means of sending you back," he added quickly when Abigail looked like she's going to say something.

"But, Sir. What can we do?"

"Of course, we're going to have you staying here as an exchange student,"

"But, Sir, I don't know any magic,"

Dumbledore thought for a second. "Hmm, that seemed to be a problem, isn't it?"

He reached for a hand-held mirror from his desk and said to it, "Severus Snape,"

Abigail looked on with wonder. _So that's the infamous two-way mirror?_

"Yes, Headmaster," a cold and calm voice came from the other side of the mirror.

"Ah, Severus, I am in need of your assistance now. Please come to my office immediately," Dumbledore said in a jolly tone.

"Headmaster, I am in the middle of the sixth year Potions class," drawled Snape.

"It will only take you a while, Severus. I trust that the students are able to take care of themselves for a few minutes?"

"Alright, I'll be there soon,"

When the Headmaster placed the mirror down, he clapped his hands twice before beaming at Abigail. He reminded Abigail of a kid opening his Christmas presents.

*

"A what?" Abigail exclaimed.

Dumbledore chuckled. "An enhancing potion," he said. "It helps to enhance the little magical ability that you had in you,"

"How do you know that I even had any magical ability?" Abigail asked.

"Well, you must have been transported here for a reason. And well, there wouldn't be any story if you don't," the Headmaster replied matter-of-factly.

Severus Snape rolled his eyes. Even after years of working with this wizard, one would not get used to his so-called "logic".

"Any other questions?" the Headmaster asked jollily. When he did not get any response, he said, "No? Good. Severus, would you mind brewing this potion for Ms. Sanders? And of course, I trust that you would not reveal any of the discussion we had in this room to anybody?"

"Yes, Sir," and with that Snape left the office.

*

"Okay, now that that is settled, let's get to more important things," he looked around as though trying to figure out what to do next.

"Aha, let's get you sorted to a house, shall we?" Dumbledore said after his eyes landed on the Sorting Hat. He grabbed the Hat and turned towards Abigail.

Abigail is trying to get herself collected. She can't believe she was to be sorted! Oh my goodness. She couldn't contain her glee.

"We should hurry and get you settled before the feast tonight. Big night, tonight," he said.

Abigail snapped out of her trance. Big night?

"What's happening tonight, Sir?"

Dumbledore stopped midway of setting down a stool and looked at Abigail. "My dear, tonight the Goblet of Fire is going to reveal the Triwizard Champions,"

Any thoughts on Sorting left her mind all together. The only thing that was on Abigail's mind was: Bloody hell.

* * *

Many thanks to those who had favorited/alerted this story. Thank you for your support.

I'm sorry if there are a lot of grammar mistakes in this chapter because I didn't have time to proof read it. I am having finals soon, but I wanted to just update another chapter.

Let me know what do you guys think about this story/chapter.

Any suggestion of where to place Abigail in? Gryffindor? Slytherin? Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long delayed.

* * *

**

Any previous thoughts of being excited for the Sorting had left her mind just like a snap of her fingers. She could not explain what the heavy feeling in her heart is about.

"_My dear, tonight the Goblet of Fire is going to reveal the Triwizard Champions,"_

It was as if she could not breathe. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

Dumbledore was shocked to say the least. He hurried to the girl and placed an arm around her. This reaction alone told him that something is going to happen tonight and it is anything but jolly.

"Child, are you alright?" he said soothingly.

Abigail woke up from her trance and looked up at the clear blue eyes. The twinkle that was mentioned in the books was not there right now. When Dumbledore told her that this is Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts, it had somehow escaped her mind that it is the year of the Triwizard Tournament. It had escaped her that this is the year that brought the gloom to all the later books.

The return of Lord Voldemort and the death of Cedric Diggory.

With that, the tears started welling up again.

Albus Dumbledore was at lost of what to do at the moment. It seemed that the Tournament is going to bring some sort of a malady and the person who knew about it was standing just next to him, yet she could not reveal it even if she wants to.

Dumbledore made a mental note to gather the professors tonight and start planning for any sort of damage control that they might need after the Goblet of Fire reveals the Champions.

"Now, now, my dear. There's no point in you focusing on what had yet to happen," he told Abigail while patting her shoulder. "Tell me, child, is everything going to be alright after whatever that is going to happen tonight?"

Abigail looked at the Headmaster. Even though the Triwizard Tournament was to bring the death of Cedric Diggory and the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, in the end, the Light triumphed over the Dark. Therefore, there is no point dwelling on what is to happen tonight.

With that thought, Abigail smiled. That action alone brought a smile to the wise Headmaster's face.

"You're right, Sir," and without any thinking about it, she hugged the Headmaster. "Thank you,"

If Dumbledore was shocked, he hides it well. He chuckled. "Now, shall we proceed with your Sorting? If I'm not mistaken, you are quite excited for it,"

That did the trick. Abigail is now full of glee once more.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it. I'm about to be sorted," she exclaimed, clapping her hands and jumping around.

"Which house do you think I'll be in, Sir," she asked.

"Alas, my child. This is the only question that I really had no idea about the answer,"

When Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat on to Abigail, it came to life.

"Ahh, what is this? I am awaken before the start of term? Hmm, what now?" the Hat said while stretching as though working out the kinks in its body after being left untouched for a couple of weeks.

"My dear Sorting Hat, it seemed that we have a special case at our hands and I sincerely need you to help us Sort this young student into a House,"

The Sorting Hat adjusted itself so that it is now facing Abigail. The hollows on the Hat, which served as the "eyes", bored into Abigail. One of the arcs above the hollows, the "eyebrows", rose. Abigail looked at the Hat. Though it was upside-down, the hollows and the arcs looked quite creepy up close.

"Special case, indeed," The Hat readjusted itself so that it can start the Sorting.

"Hmm, really smart. Not too timid, not afraid to speak up. A little bit on the cunning side. True to her cause and loyal. This is difficult indeed," the Hat drawled. "Where to put you?"

The familiar question rang through Abigail's mind. It was sort of the same statement the Hat said when it was Sorting Harry.

Dumbledore's wise words, "It is all about your choice, Harry," rang in her mind.

My choice. Abigail pondered. Which House should I be in? The typical Gryffindor, where all the main characters are? Or Hufflepuff, where _Cedric Diggory _is at? Oh, what about Slytherin? Draco Malfoy is there. Abigail was not a stranger to fan fictions and one of her favorite ships was Dramione.

_Urgh _she though, _this is a really tough choice. _

But of course, it would make more sense if she was in Gryffindor, where all the actions will be happening.

"So, you made a decision. Hmm, a good one at that. Alright, you're in…"

The Great Hall was buzzing. Hogwarts students was wondering who would be representing their school while the visiting students were sitting quietly in their places. Cedric was sure that they were praying or willing the Goblet of Fire to reveal their names instead of their peers.

Of course, Cedric was pretty nervous himself. What started off as a joke among friends became so real.

Weeks ago, when the Hogwarts was told about the tournament, Cedric and his pals were discussing about it. In the spur of the moment, Cedric said that he might be considering to enter the tournament, since he's of age.

His peers and professors thought his idea was brilliant and before he know it, he was submitting his name into the Goblet of Fire, surrounded by his friends who were cheering him on.

Cedric was a crowd-pleaser. He will do whatever his friends wanted him to do because he was afraid to let them down. Besides that, his father was extremely supportive about this as well. Heck, it was worse than when Amos Diggory bragged about his son's victory against Harry Potter. Not one to let anybody down, Cedric entered the tournament.

Now, his heart was pounding so hard like it is going to come out of his chest. In less than an hour, the Champions will be revealed. And there is a possibility that Cedric's going to be chosen.

Suddenly, the hall hushed down to silence. Cedric looked at the High Table and saw Professor Dumbledore standing at the podium. Seeing the Headmaster brought his thoughts back to the mysterious girl he came across that afternoon. Cedric wondered who was the girl.

Dumbledore brought his hands up to silence the few students who were still whispering to each other in excitement.

"I understand that you are looking forward to find out who were the Champions, but before any of that, I have a little announcement to make," the Headmaster said.

With that, any whispering ceased.

Dumbledore gestured to Abigail to come up to the podium.

Heads were raised to get a better look at the girl. The same thing running across almost everybody's mind: _Who is that? _

Harry took a look at the girl along with everybody else. The girl was fair, with brunette hair. He could not make out her other features, but from where he was seated, the girl looked beautiful. And if the gasps and whistles around him were any indication, his housemates thought that she was pretty too.

"I would like to introduce Ms. Sanders. She is a transfer student from America," Dumbledore said.

So the whispering began.

"Ms. Sanders was already Sorted earlier in my office, so we can continue with our festivities tonight,"

Everyone in the Hall held their breath, or at least every _guy_, wondering which House was _Ms. Sanders _Sorted into. Each hoping it was theirs.

"If you will, Ms. Sanders, please proceed to the Hufflepuff table over there," Dumbledore pointed at the table.

If anybody notices the groans and hisses made by the other Houses, nobody commented on it. In fact, nobody commented on how almost every guy in Hufflepuff was trying to clear a spot next to them for the girl.

With her head bowed, Abigail walked to the general direction of the Hufflepuff table. She did not see where she's going, so she just sat down at whichever seat that was vacant.

"So, we meet again," someone on her left said.

Abigail looked up to find a pair of grey eyes looking back at her. She did not notice how every other guy around her is grunting in disappointment.

"Cedric," she said softly.

Cedric raised his eyebrow. "I've been meaning to ask you that. How did you know my name?"

"Oh, err, I heard people talking about you while I was walking around the grounds earlier,"

"Oh,"

Abigail nodded. _That's a close one. _

"So, what year are you in?" Cedric asked.

Abigail sighed. This is the lamest part of her 'adventure'.

"Fourth year," she said softly.

How could she even be in the fourth year? She was sixteen for God's sake. Her thought back about how all this happened.

"_So, you made a decision. Hmm, a good one at that. Alright, you're in Hufflepuff," the Hat declared. If Dumbledore was surprised about the decision, he did not show it. _

_Abigail thought that it was best to be in Hufflepuff after all. She cannot be in Gryffindor as that is too typical and there are too many important character in that House. She was afraid that she might do something that might alter the course of the story. Ravenclaw was out of the question because there is not anything going on in that House during Harry's fourth year. Slytherin is definitely not a choice. Abigail does not know how long is she going to be in this 'world', what if Voldemort already started to recruit young Death Eaters? She definitely does not want to get involved with the Dark side. That of course, left Abigail with Hufflepuff. She does not mind, for one, she might be able to reduce the taunting that Harry faced and of course, she might be able to get to know Cedric Diggory. There's definitely no harm in that!_

"_OK, I will inform Panoma to prepare a place for you in the fourth year Hufflepuff dormitory," Dumbledore said. _

"_What?!" Abigail exclaimed. "Fourth year? Aren't I supposed to be in the sixth year? I am sixteen years old this year," _

_This time, Dumbledore did showed his surprise. "But my child, you certainly do not look like you're sixteen. You looked like you're thirteen or fourteen," _

_Abigail did not know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. _

"_If you do not believe me, take a look at the mirror," Dumbledore gestured to his right. _

_  
Abigail walked to the mirror and stared into it. The reflection that she saw shocked her. Yes, it still showed her, but there is something different about her. She looked younger and what shocked her the most was her hair. She was absolutely sure that her hair was short, boy-like cutting the night before when she fell asleep. Now, her reflection in the mirror shows that her hair was shoulder-length. And if she's not mistaken, that is how her hair was when she was fourteen. _

"_If you are still in doubt, perhaps I could suggest an Age Spell? It could tell your physical age," Dumbledore said. _

The spell showed that Abigail is indeed, a fourteen year old girl. Or at least her physical age is fourteen. When the Biological Age Spell was performed, it was proven that Abigail is actually sixteen years old. Why is it that she was physically fourteen? Who knows? Or in Dumbledore's words… "There is always a reason for anything that happens. We'll just see how it goes,"

Easy for him to say, he's not the one undergoing weird experiences and was reduced physically in age.

"The Hogwarts Champion is… Cedric Diggory," Dumbledore announced. Hogwarts students roared, the loudest being the Hufflepuff around Abigail. Despite the tug she felt inside, she smiled at Cedric and mouthed "Good luck," as he got up and went into the waiting room behind the High Table.

Everyone else was still cheering on for Cedric while Abigail looked at the Goblet of Fire. Any minute now, the beginning of the _real _Harry Potter story will happen. Then, the Goblet of Fire flashed in green flame again as another piece of paper (parchment, sorry) flew out of it.

Abigail took a deep breath as Dumbledore looked sadly at the parchment. Then, she looked around, searching for the familiar boy.

Jet black hair. Glasses. Gryffindor table.

She spotted the infamous Boy Who Lived the same time as Dumbledore announced his name, "Harry Potter,"

The real Harry Potter looked exactly like the actor who played him in the movies. The only difference is that the real Harry Potter had shorter hair compared to his counterpart in the fourth movie (Hah, told ya the hair sucked!).

But, Abigail wasn't focusing on how handsome or cute the real Harry Potter is. Abigail only saw the shock and fear that was on his face when he was pushed forward by Hermione Granger. Abigail also noticed the look everyone sent him and most importantly, the look on Ronald Weasley's face.

Well, take a screwdriver and screw altering the course of the story. Abigail is going to be Harry Potter's friend and help him cope with all the nastiness if that is the last thing she'll do.

* * *

**A/N: What do you guys think of this? What is your opinion on Abigail in Hufflepuff? Do you think she should be in other House? **

**I still can't make up my mind on whether to pair her with Harry or Cedric. Hmm, what do you think?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, sorry for the very long break. I was having writer's block and didn't know how to proceed with the story. And then, while I was reading through my files, I saw this story, read it and BAM! the idea came back. So, here it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter. Everything belongs to J.. I only own the storyline and and OC: Abigail Sanders.

* * *

Everything after that was a blur to Abigail. She briefly remembered following the rest of the Hufflepuffs to their common room.

Now she was sitting on her bed, contemplating on how to help Harry Potter without altering the course of the story. Helping Harry would be a piece of cake because here, Abigail is like a freaking Master of Divination. She could totally kick Professor Trelawney's butt in "telling the future". But, how to do that without causing serious consequences to the whole story is the tricky part.

Abigail was deep in her thought when another girl approached her.

"Hi,"

Abigail looked at the source of the voice. It was a girl with a chubby face and long brown wavy hair.

"I'm Hannah Abbott," she introduced herself. "May I?" She gestured to Abigail's bed.

"Of course, have a seat," Abigail then introduced herself.

"So, I'm assuming that you're going to be in the fourth year? Since you're placed in this room," Hannah asked.

"Yeah, you assumed right," Abigail told her. The books rarely mentioned Hannah, but despite that Abigail felt a sense of familiarity towards the girl. She has a very friendly face.

Just then, the door to their room slammed open.

"Oh my gosh, you are not going to believe this," said the girl who rushed in. The girl, Susan Bones as Abigail learned later, proceeded in telling Abigail and Hannah about what she heard from this one guy who heard from this other guy that Ronald Weasley had pitched a fit about how Harry Potter is a _bloody wanker _for not including him in the plan to enter the Triwizard Tournament.

"He's practically fuming right now in their common room. I am curious as to what will happen when Harry returned from that meeting with the other Champions," Susan said.

Abigail pushed aside whatever she wanted to say to Ronald Weasley. One day, that git is going to get it from her. Not today though, today is all about Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter isn't back from the meeting yet?" she asked in what she desperately hope a nonchalant manner.

Susan shook her head. "Not from what I'd heard,"

As Abigail walked down the corridors of Hogwarts, she thought about what she had learned so far in Hogwarts-verse.

1. Cedric Diggory _here _is so much better looking that Robert Pattinson, that's for sure. Abigail had never understood why on Earth is that dude so famous. He was OK when he played Cedric's role in the fourth movie, but as Edward Cullen? Oh no, that's like an insult to the vampire. He do both Cedric and Edward NO justice.

2. Dumbledore is as mysterious as how J. K. Rowling had portrayed him in the books.

3. Ronald Weasley is a royal git who needs some butt-kicking.

4. Do not reveal any secrets to Susan Bones. She's the biggest gossip Abigail had ever had the honor of meeting.

Abigail was so deep in her thought that she did not realized that someone was walking towards her. Someone who was deep in his thoughts as well. With that said, obviously, there would be an impact.

"Ouch, aw man, this is the second time today,"

"Oh- I'm so sorry,"

Half expecting it to be Cedric Diggory (since it's how story works anyway), she was surprised to be face-to-face with none other than the Boy Who Lived. Harry quickly got to his feet and offered his hand to the girl on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking," he said.

"Don't worry. I wasn't looking as well. So, we're both at fault," she smiled at him. Here it is, she thought, her chance to get to know Harry Potter and be his friend. Then, help him through this bloody tournament.

"Sanders, right?" Harry asked, recalling the feast before The Incident. He still could not wrap his mind around the idea that he was chosen as the fourth Champion. _Underage _Champion at that, too. And he didn't even enter it. He sighed.

"I'm honored that the great Harry Potter knows my name," she said teasingly "You can call me Abigail though, Sanders sound so, yucky,"

Harry chuckled. "Yucky?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, like you're calling my father instead of me you know and I mean, it's such a dude's name," she shuddered. "Can you imagine someone saying-," she cleared her throat and said "- come here Sander - to me? It's like they're speaking to a guy,"

Harry had no idea what Sa- Abigail was saying, but she did help distracting him from the Incident.

"Yeah, OK. Abigail, it's getting late, do you need me to walk you back to your common room?" Harry offered.

Abigail was about to decline Harry's offer when she remembered that she was supposed to "get to know Harry Potter and help him through the tournament". She nodded her consent.

"So, why did you transferred here from America?" Harry decided on this as a conversation starter. The walk to the Hufflepuff Common Room is starting to get a little awkward.

While she was desperate for an escape from the awkward silence, this question got her tongue-tied. "Well, you see… my parents, they uh- got transferred to the branch here in the UK, so, you see, I have to come with them,"

"Oh, what do they do?"

"They uh- they work as the uh- marketing representatives of their company,"

"Oh, your parents' are Muggles?" Harry asked. He was pretty sure there aren't any "marketing representatives" in the magical community.

Abigail mentally slapped herself. She had not really thought about how she was going to present herself to this world. As a pureblood, half-blood or muggleborn? Well, pureblood is definitely off the list now, that's for sure.

"My dad's a wizard, mom's a muggle. They fell in love when she accidentally knocked into him when he Apparated into the alley that she was walking in," Abigail stored this information just in case someone else asked. She needs to get her stories right so as to not raise suspicion.

They fell into an easy conversation after that. Harry felt that it was kind of refreshing that someone did not seemed to be awed that he is _the Harry Potter. _Abigail was speaking to him as though he was just any other boy. Though there was this uncanny feeling he had that Abigail seemed to know a lot more about him than she let on. Apart from that, Harry found that he enjoyed her company. It was comfortable, with her.

"We're here. Thanks for walking me back," Abigail said as they stood in front of a statue.

"No problem. It was a pleasure meeting you. I had a great time speaking with you," Harry held out his hand.

Abigail shook the offered hand. "Likewise. I'll see you around then. Good night,"

"Good night,"

When Harry walked off, Abigail turned to the statue.

"Crap," She had no idea what was the password to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Everything had been a blur after the feast. She could not remember how she even got into her room, much less the password.

"Locked out on your first night? A troublemaker in the making, perhaps?"

It was Cedric Diggory, in the flesh. Did she mentioned that he was so much better looking than the actor who plays him in the movie? Yeah, thought so.

"Sanders, right?"

Abigail had a sense of déjà vu. She is definitely not going through the whole rambling thing about her name with Cedric.

"Abigail," she told him simply.

"So, Abigail, what are you doing out here this late at night?" he asked. He saw her came with Harry Potter earlier. That sparked his curiosity, didn't she just came here today? How did she get to know Harry Potter? They were speaking like they had been friends.

"Oh, I was just trying to get to know the school compound and everything. So I won't get lost trying to find my class on Monday, you see," she lied. She was walking around the corridors to try to find her way to the Gryffindor Common Room. She wanted to find a way to get to know Harry.

Somehow, Cedric doubted her. But decided to let it slide. "If you don't mind, I could show you around tomorrow. I doubt you could recognize all the places in the dark," he offered. Like when he first met her, he was intrigued by this girl.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother. I could ask Hannah or Susan to show me around," _Stupid, would it kill you to say yes? It's CEDRIC DIGGORY. _

_Hannah and Susan? Could it be Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones? She must be in her fourth year then. _"It's fine by me. Tomorrow's Saturday, I'll be free,"

"Ok then. Thanks, by the way,"

Cedric smiled. "No problem. The password is 'bumble bee', by the way," he said with a smirk.

"Duly noted,"

When they parted at the stairs, him on the one leading to the boys' dormitory, her to the girls', she turned to him and said, "Congratulations on becoming the Hogwarts Champion, Cedric. Good night,"

Her smile was so breathtaking that he stood there stunned for a moment. When he saw that she was about the head to her room, he replied with a "Good night. I'll see you tomorrow," He could have swore that he heard a faint giggle from her before she went to her room.

* * *

That's it guys. Tell me what do you think.


	5. Chapter 5

He is not at the Gryffindor table. She was sure of that because she sneak a glance at that direction once in a while. Judging by the look on Ron Weasley's face, Abigail was sure that the two best mates had an argument last night. Just as the book says.

The book! Of course. Abigail smacked her forehead. She knew where Harry is. Using a napkin, she grabbed a few toast and got up from the Hufflepuff table.

"Where are you going, Abigail?" Hannah asked.

"Oh, I just thought I could have my breakfast on the grounds. It seemed like a lovely day,"

Hannah looked out the window of the Great Hall. It certainly does not seemed like a _lovely _day as Abigail put it. She could see the trees moving with the breeze. It looked like it was quite chilly out there. Hannah shrugged, it must be an America thing. Maybe their opinions on weather differed from others.

"Do you want me to come with?" Still, she offered out of courtesy.

Abigail shook her head. "It's fine. I'll be alright. See you," And with that, she rushed out of the Great Hall. It took her several minutes to reach the Black Lake though, as she got lost a few times.

Just as she thought, a lone figure was sitting by the lake, right under the large oak tree. The same oak tree that she was under just the day before. The person's back was hunched, their chin on their knee. As quietly as possible, Abigail crept to his side and sat down. If he noticed her presence, he didn't show it.

"Here, I see that you missed breakfast," she handed him the toasts.

He took them from her. He remained silent, occasionally nibbling on the toasts. Abigail just sat there in silence. If he wanted to speak to her, he will. If he doesn't, she's content with keeping him company.

"Ron says I'm an attention-seeking bloke. That I can't live without being in the spotlight," Harry began.

Abigail didn't know how long she was sitting there, listening to Harry as he pour his soul out, she just sat there for as long as he wanted and gave him the occasional pat on the back.

"It's not like I entered myself into this tournament. Someone entered for me. I don't want this! Any of it! If I could, I wish I am just like anybody else. Not the sodding Boy Who Lived,"

"Harry, don't worry yourself about this. Ronald is a royal git. But undeniably, he was just feeling overshadowed by you. No, I didn't mean that it was your fault, he just couldn't help it. He was always being compared to his brothers and now, he had to be compared to you. It's just the pressure speaking, he'll be back to his senses soon," Abigail told him.

"I suppose. Wait-," Harry looked at Abigail. "-you believed me? You don't think that I entered the tournament myself for _eternal glory_?"

"Harry, I saw your face last night when your name was announced, you don't look like you actually expected to be called. If you did enter youself, you would not have looked so shocked and stunned," Abigail explained.

Harry felt happy and disappointed at the same time. Abigail believing in him made him happy. There's one less person to worry about. But why can a total stranger understand him while his best mate could not.

"Tell that to Ron," he scoffed.

"Harry, as we had established earlier, Ron is a complete git and dunderhead. Give him some time and he'll get back to his senses,"

"Yeah, but thanks, you know, for believing in me,"

"No problem. I mean obviously someone else put your name in the goblet,"

"But who?"

"Moody, duh?"

"What?"

Oops. She done it. She just revealed the storyline to one of the characters. How can she be so stupid as to let it slip? Will this alter the course of the story? Will the future change? Oh my gosh!

"Abigail? Are you alright? You have gone pale,"

Abigail looked at Harry. Why did she tell him that it was Moody? Wait a moment, why _can _she even let the name out? She had tried telling Dumbledore a few things the day before, but nothing could come out of her mouth. Why is that so?

"Abigail?"

Alright, time for some experiment.

"Harry, Moody put your name into the goblet," she told him.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"Because he's actually-," Abigail frowned. When she had tried to say Barty Crouch Junior's name, she could not.

"He's what?" Harry is starting to get a little unease. There's something different about Abigail. He couldn't lay a finger on _what, _but he knew there's something about her. His gut feeling is telling him that whatever Abigail told him could change his life.

"He's a-," Again, she couldn't say what she wanted to. She smiled. She kind of had a basic grip on how this whole thing works. She could actually say something that does not directly tell the characters about the story. Moody did not put his name into the goblet because he is currently trapped in a magical trunk. And while she tried to say that Barty was the one, she could not.

Weird, Harry is sure that he saw Abigail's lips moved, but there's no voice coming out of her mouth. And he is pretty sure that instead of looking horrified, Abigail seemed like she had expected it. Something is going on here, and Harry is not sure whether it's good or bad.

Now that she figured that out, she wondered whether she should tell Harry about her. The true story. The whole _I came from another world into the world of the story book _deal.

The book universe decided for her when they heard someone coming towards them. It was Hermione.

"Harry, there you are. I was looking for you all over," she said. In her hands were toasts wrapped in a napkin. It was then that she noticed that Harry has got company. It was that new girl from yesterday. Sanders, if she was not mistaken.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger. Harry's best friend," Hermione introduced herself.

"Abigail Sanders, nice to meet you," Abigail smiled. Hermione Granger in the books is not as gorgeous as Emma Watson, but she's almost there. True, her hair is really as bushy as it can get, but her face held the true beauty.

"What are you doing out here, Harry?" Hermione said after giving a polite smile to Abigail.

"If you expect me to be there after the whole ruckus yesterday, you're nuts," Harry snapped. No offense to Hermione, as he adored her, but he really wanted to find out what Abigail was trying to tell him.

Realizing that this was the beginning of the base of all HarryxHermione pairing in the fan fiction world, Abigail excused herself. She will think more deeply about whether to let Harry in on her secret.

"Please excuse me, I have to get back the Common Room," Abigail got up quickly, brushed herself off and offered a smile to both Harry and Hermione. "I'll see you around, alright? Oh, and Harry, I'm on your side, don't forget that,"

Just like that, Abigail was out of their sight. Harry sighed. He really did sensed something that was off about Abigail, too bad he did not have a chance to question her about it.

There's a light pressure on his hand. "Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked, concern apparent in her voice. Harry looked at her hand on his. Maybe it was not so bad after all, he really could use some bonding time with Hermione. He realized in that moment that in all of the four years (give and take a few months) that they had been friends, he had never really _talked _to Hermione. Today could be that day.

Abigail spent her whole walk back to the Common Room weighing the pros and cons of letting Harry in on her secret.

Pros – She could use a confidante (one that was her age, so Dumbledore doesn't count), she could guide Harry through the year so that it can go smoothly and maybe along the way, they could find a way to prevent unnecessary lost (Cedric Diggory came to mind)

Cons – Harry might think that she's crazy, she might accidentally revealed something that in turn changes the course of the story hence, the ending, who knows what might have happened then.

She mumbled "bumble bee" to the statue and went in. She was about the climb the stairs heading back to her room when someone coughed.

"Seems like you've forgotten about your date with me?" Cedric told her.

There's a notable decrease of volume in the Common Room, punctuated by a few gasps.

Despite being the one at fault (she really did forgot about the tour), Abigail glared at him. Without offering any explanations to their fellow Hufflepuffs, she grabbed his hand and walked out of the Common Room.

"Thanks to you, now they're going to think that there's something going on between us," Abigail muttered. She wasn't complaining (not entirely) though, it _is _Cedric Diggory after all.

"So maybe I could've chosen a better word for it. I'm sorry, I could go and clear it up if you want," he offered.

"It's fine. I'm pretty sure they've already came up with dozens of theories," she brushed it off, speaking from experience. What? High school is brutal, enough said.

"Yeah, have to agree with you on that. Anyway, shall we?" he mock offered his arm.

"We shall," Abigail entertained him by hooking her arm through his.

For reasons unknown, Cedric didn't particularly feel like telling Abigail that by doing that, she's going to add more tidbits to the rumor mill.

They had just finished touring the second floor when Cedric asked her what made her forgot about their tour 'date'.

"Oh, I realized that Harry wasn't at breakfast. I reckon it must have been about his friends' reaction to his Champion status. Just figured he might need some cheering up," Abigail replied, looking attentively at the abandoned female bathroom.

Cedric didn't know why, but suddenly he didn't like Harry Potter very much despite not knowing him in the first place.

* * *

What do you think about this? Send your comments my way. Flames are welcomed too, but please be gentle on me. :D


	6. Chapter 6

It took one trip to Dumbledore's office and one sentence to Dumbledore to make up her mind about telling Harry about her secret. It was as simple as that. In fact, it was too easy that Abigail had to blink a few times at Dumbledore's reply.

"What?" Abigail couldn't help but said.

There's the twinkle in his eyes again that was at times suspicious yet warming. Just this time, Abigail didn't know which one was it.

"I said, sure. You could let young Harry Potter in on the secret. In fact, I think it's an excellent idea. I couldn't help but feel slightly honored that you think you have to get my permission to do so," the wise men said.

"I just thought that you should be consulted regarding issues as important as this. I mean, I'm still not very sure that I would not change anything in the story, because obviously by coming into the story and befriending Harry, Hermione and Cedric," for the very first time, Abigail revealed her thoughts to Dumbledore. While she was really ecstatic when she first found out that she arrived here, she's been worrying about changing the future. It is safe to say that she was on the borderline of being paranoid.

Dumbledore regarded the young lady in front of him. She might not admit or even notice this about herself, but she has a great soul.

"Child, I believe that everything happen for a reason. Have you ever thought that you being here might serve another purpose? Perhaps some great power felt that you are needed here to change something? Maybe that's your true purpose here, not to ensure that things go as they should, but to change it for the better?"

"I know that what I have just said was purely assumption, but that's what life is. We don't know where we're going, we just have to keep doing whatever we are doing to ensure that we are actually going somewhere," Dumbledore told her while taking the occasional sip of his tea.

"But I do know where we're heading and if I ever caused anything to change, for worse, I'll never forgive myself," Abigail said.

"Merlin, child. Just live your life, don't worry too much about the consequences. What will happen will happen. We'll deal with them as we go," he went around his table and sat right next to Abigail. He patted her back affectionately. "I can't believe _I'm _telling you this, aren't you supposed to be the teenager?" he chuckled.

Abigail fell into a comfortable laughter with the Headmaster. She has to admit that part of her is relieved that she has Dumbledore's consent to tell Harry about herself. Now the problem is _how _to tell Harry without him thinking that she's from the loony bin.

- commercial break -

"Are you nervous about your first day?"

Abigail nearly chocked on the toast that she was having. Quickly grabbing her pumpkin juice (what happened to good old orange juice?), she tried to ease the way for the toast down her throat. She threw a glare on the culprit of her near-death-choking-experience: Cedric Diggory.

He at least has the sense to look guilty that he got her chocked on her breakfast. He awkwardly patted her back and muttered his apologies. When she stopped her coughing, he smiled his I'm-sorry-but-you-have-to-forgive-me-because-I'm-charming smile.

"You're not getting off easy with this one, Diggory," Abigail teased. "You owe me one week hard labor,"

"Oh, everything that you demand is my pleasure, your chockingness," Cedric Diggory, Abigail decided, can be a tad bit dramatic.

"So, are you nervous about your first day?" Cedric asked, this time not causing any health hazard to anyone.

There's something about Abigail Sanders that made Cedric wants to get to know her better. He likes her. He likes being around her and talking to her. She has this ability that makes it easy to talk to her, making her really approachable, at least that's the case for him. No, he didn't think that he _likes _her that way. At least, not now. Currently, let's just say that he has a soft spot for Abigail Sanders.

While they were conversing with ease, they did not notice that they had actually attracted quite some attention. Hufflepuffs, at least those who had heard of the rumors (any version of it), were sneaking glances at the pair and tried to listen in to their conversation. Hannah Abbott, who was sitting next to Abigail, actually stared unashamedly at the both of them.

While it wasn't totally rare that Cedric was speaking to someone, he was a friendly peer; it was kind of rare to see that he initiated the conversation. Even among his close circle of friends, those instances are rare. Cedric is more of a listener, rather than a speaker. But, when he did speak, he is a charmer; according to his best mate Haden Walker. So, it was rather a shock to everyone to see Cedric Diggory initiating a conversation, especially when it's a girl. Even though he has the reputation of being one of the best looking boys in Hogwarts, he did not talk to the opposite gender frequently. That, in his best mate's words, _was a waste. _

"Cedric, you prat, why did you not introduce me to this pretty young lady?" someone else plopped down on her other side right between Abigail and Hannah.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "Back off, Haden,"

Abigail heard a huff from the person next to her, apparently his name is Haden.

"I'm sorry for his lack of manners. He seemed to forget the common courtesy of introducing you to me, his _best mate_," Haden said, which made Abigail turned to face him. "Hi, I'm Haden Walker. The better looking of this duo," he wiggled his eyebrows.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Cedric furrowed his brows. Abigail shrugged. She extended her hand. "Abigail Sanders, pleasure to meet you. I'm glad at least someone knows some manners over here,"

Haden Walker smirked. "Oh, this one is a keeper, Ced. She didn't fall for you charms, huh?" he leaned forward and slung his arm around her.

"Keep talking, but could you keep your hands off?" she teased and dropped his arm.

"Whoa, this one is definitely a keeper, mate,"

It was at that moment that Haden Walker had decided to befriend Abigail Sanders; probably make her his first ever-female best mate, who knows? One thing is for sure; Abigail Sanders had no idea what just hit her.

Cedric rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "So, as I was saying before a certain idiot interrupted, are you nervous for your first day?" he asked.

"My, aren't you the repetitive one?" Abigail mocked. She laughed at both the boys' expressions. "Fine, I won't tease anymore. Cedric actually looked like he's going to have a seizure or something," she reached out to turn the frown upside down on Cedric's face. "I'm not exactly nervous. More on the scale of terrified, scared, afraid or anything else that is synonymous,"

"Why are you so terrified? It's just like any other class. I'm sure it's pretty much the same from where you came from," Cedric told her.

_Yeah well, my previous school doesn't teach us how to levitate stuff with a _magical wand _no less, thank you very much. _

"I hope so,"

"What's your first class, by the way?"

Abigail thought for a moment. Then, "I have no idea, actually,"

"But, Professor Sprout should have- oh!" Cedric rummaged his bag.

"You have to excuse him. He didn't know that the rest of us aren't sentence-finisher like himself," Haden said theatrically. The few Hufflepuffs around them laughed.

"Sod off, Walker," Cedric told good-naturedly and handed Abigail a piece of paper – parchment, it's parchment here.

Haden gasped. "Language, Cedric," he chastised.

"Here, it's your schedule. Professor Sprout passed it to me last night. It sort of slipped from my mind," Cedric pointedly ignored the boy that was his best mate.

Abigail thanked him and took a look at her schedule.

**_Monday_**

_Transfiguration __(Gryffindor)_

_Lunch_

_Potions (Ravenclaw)_

**_Tuesday_**

_Arithmancy _

_Lunch_

_Herbology __(Gryffindor)_

**_Wednesday_**

_History of Magic __(Gryffindor)_

_Lunch_

_Charms __(Slytherin)_

**_Thursday_**

_Astronomy __(Slytherin)_

_Lunch_

_Care for the Magical Creatures __(Ravenclaw)_

**_Friday_**

_Defense Against the Dark Arts __(Ravenclaw)_

_Lunch_

_Ancient Runes_

"You're taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?" Haden asked, slightly awed by the fact.

She nodded in response. "I just thought it might be interesting. Besides, Professor Sprout said I could drop it if I find myself couldn't keep up with the subjects,"

"What is this? It's an outrage! Why is it that you could drop subjects when we can't?" Haden started his theatrics again.

"Well, back in Salem Academy, we didn't have to take as much subject as you do in Hogwarts. So, Dumbledore gave me some exemption rights. Of course, that is if I really couldn't cope with the subjects," she flashed them a bright smile.

_It's not going to be that hard, right?_

_- commercial break-_

Abigail slammed her head on her book. Her first class hadn't gone very well. She saw Harry in the class and decided to sit next to him, which earned her death glares from her fellow Hufflepuffs. Apparently, she missed the memo that Harry Potter is now an enemy of the entire Hufflepuff house. Besides that, she had no idea what Professor McGonagall was talking about. Not a single thing. What makes her think that she could just barge in here and attend classes in Hogwarts without any basic knowledge whatsoever?

Well, it wasn't entirely her fault Abigail tried to justify. Her thoughts went straight to the old professor.

"It will be alright, girl," he said.

_Yeah right. All right, my butt. _Abigail huffed. She made a note to speak her mind to Albus Dumbledore, the person who arranged for her to attend classes, FOURTH YEAR CLASSES, without any preparation at all. Partly, she realized, was her fault for not having thought about this. But she's determined to place all the blame on the Headmaster.

"Are you Ok, Abigail?" Harry asked, albeit a little awkwardly. He was deciding on whether to pat on her back.

Abigail sat up straight and looked at Harry. Right, forget about getting back at Dumbledore and focus on the matter at hand. Here's an opportunity to reveal everything.

"Abigail?"

"I have something to tell you, Harry," she told him.

_Talk about being as blunt as an axe, girl. Good luck though._

* * *

Note: I tried to make the schedule in the form of an actual table, but isn't cooperating with me and I seriously had no idea how to do all those html stuff, so you are stuck with how it is presented. Just note that each subject is a double period and the houses in ( ) shows which house she's going to have the subjects with. I'm not exactly sure about the subjects, so, if by any chance I missed out any, let me know. But before you do, just so you know, yeah, I left out Divination on purpose.

Note: The "commercial breaks" were there because apparently the "***" I used as a scene break isn't working. :D

Ok, enough rant from me. Reviews are appreciated. :D


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